I know Cody Zeller is overloading everybody’s circuits right now, so this might be flying a little low on the radar, but it is far more immediate, nonetheless. It’s also pretty much, dare I say, a black hole of information at present.

To recap what we do know: Guy-Marc Michel sat Wednesday’s exhibition after Indiana revealed that the NCAA was looking into Michel’s eligibility. This investigation is related to some time Michel purportedly spent playing for SLUC Nancy, a professional team in France, in 2007-08. (If you check the fourth picture down on this page, you can make out fairly clearly the rather noticeable Michel.)

What’s at stake here isn’t whether Michel played or not. It’s fairly clear he got court time for this team, though how much and for how long is wildly hard to determine. As with the case of Kentucky freshman Enes Kanter, the NCAA’s look-see is interested in whether Michel was compensated for his time, and if so, how much. Rules allow for some leeway in the area of payment if players are plying their skills professionally overseas, for food, living expenses, etc. A salary on top of that — or money not imminently necessary — would present a larger problem.

Getting information on the issue is also a rather sizable task. Indiana isn’t commenting, which is smart. The NCAA, as of now, hasn’t responded to a phone call asking for comment, but I was warned when I left the message that it was generally policy not to comment on ongoing investigations. Both of these reactions are professional, and generally par for the course.

We’ve made some attempt to get in touch with SLUC Nancy, (though for obvious reasons we’ve yet to succeed) hoping to find out if they have any recollection of Michel, and whether the NCAA has contacted them.

I did manage to exchange a quick e-mail with Jared Phay, the coach at North Idaho College, where Michel played junior college. Phay said he wasn’t really familiar with the situation Michel is in now. He said North Idaho cleared his amateur status two years ago, and teams that have pursued him have always treated it like an important factor, predictably, in his recruitment.

Michel, Phay said, worked hard to retain his amateur status, and for what it’s worth, Phay said he was confident the situation would work out.

That generally sums up what I’ve been able to gather thus far. NCAA investigations are usually, by their nature, hard things to crack into, so it’s not all that surprising. And I know this doesn’t cheer up your IU football blues, but it’s all I’ve got. Enjoy your weekend.

Glad to hear what Michel said… that he believes he’s all good. Hopefully the NCAA moves quickly and in Michel’s favor.

btpinkst

Agreed…..just hope they can make a decision quick so we can see this big guy in action

Anonymous

The only time that I have seen the NCAA move quickly is when they have a chance to make a buck or two off of the back of a ” student ” athlete. If you compare bare facts they are not much different than the Mafia in a lot of ways and I have been saying that long before this came along.

Michel didn’t say anything about the situation. That may not have been clear in the original wording, so I’ve revised it a bit for clarification’s sake.Zach spoke to his JUCO coach via email, who said he believed everything would work out.

Marsh21

No news here.

Marsh21

No news here.

SeattleHoosier

This is really disappointing. Guy had the potential to add a whole new dimension to both ends of the court. I hope the NCAA moves this forward quickly…although the words “speed” and “logic” rarely appear in the same sentence with “NCAA”.

Anonymous

#freeguy

Anonymous

This decision will have a huge impact on how many wins we’ll finish with. He could provide another 4-5 wins against teams with solid players in the the 5 spot. Really it’s safe to say that he is not critical to our success until December 1st for the big ten/acc challenge (thank you soft early schedule). That will also give him in game opportunities before we head to UK and then the las vegas classic. So there’s your deadline NCAA, get up on it.

Phattybrown

On another note i dont think Kelvin Sampson appreciated me chanting “Kelvin Cheater” from the third row of last nights Pacer game vs Milw. There was a bunch of fine young gentlemen a few rows behind me chanting Sampson Sucks. His presence disgusted me!!

I’m looking forward to watching him play….but he’s not going to be responsible for 4-5 wins. That’s just crazy talk. If he could do that then every major school would have been after him.

brklynhoosier

He probably wouldn’t provide 4-5 wins at schools w/ top 25 programs — but for us, he could well be that kind of difference-maker (assuming 6-8 pts, 6-8 rebounds, and 2-3 blocks per game)…

Urban

Not much to talk about, so let me suggest a topic: Is his time with SLUC Nancy new information? If it’s not, why was his amateur status cleared by the NJCAA?

It seems that the NJCAA and NCAA should have similar standards, although probably not the same resources, in clearing student athletes to play. If there isn’t new info and Guy is found ineligible, I’d like to see Indiana seek some compensation from the NJCAA for clearing a player that was ineligible. That probably won’t happen, so I’ll settle for a hissy fit.

Anonymous

I do believe he is worth as many as 4-5 wins. And not every major school would be after him because not every team had struggles like we did in the middle. He isnt worth 4-5 wins to OSU or Uconn, just us and our lack of size.

T$

We haven’t even seen him play! It’s all speculation as to what he means to this team. I’m sure he can’t hurt but to say he is worth 4-5 wins is an uneducated guess.

Anonymous

Granted i have not seen him in game at this point, but watched the scrimmages (Hoosier Hysteria and Night of the living red) and he is worth 4-5 games in my mind. He is a natural shot blocker, he positions himself well and times his blocks well. The basis behind my thought is this –
With our core group of guys growing this year in ability i believe we will be competetive in most every game this season. I think Guy on the floor is worth 6-8 pts change just between blocks, altered shots and offensive rebounds.

I would say i am making an ever so slightly educated guess. I also realize that what i have seen is against our meeger frontline so i understand that we will not see 14 ans 10 out of the guy every night.

MillaRed

I have asked this question myself Urban and it seems the NCAA basically doesn’t give a damn about JUCO. They only like to torture the athletes in the big league.

I mentioned in an earlier post I would be surprised if CTC knew about this issue prior to a scholarship offer. However, it appears he and other coaches were not only aware of it, but skeptical to recruit Guy under the circumstances.

If we recruited Guy and this turns out to be something that paints an ugly picture for the program I will be pretty dissappointed since we are trying to get respect back in the sport.

More realistically, I am thinking it is not a big deal. If IU benefits from the fact other D1 programs were not sure of the NCAA ruling then maybe we are the smart ones. If the only significant cost is pre-conference suspensions I will be happy with that. Hoping for the best so we can move on. Like right now!